Soapbox

If you've been reading my blog from the beginning, you might know how much I love my Nike+ system (entry from March 23, 2010). So here is the next running product that I just have to rave about...."Runner's World" Magazine!

Joel just HAD TO HAVE ***AT THAT MOMENT*** the newest book from Jim Butcher when it came out in April. Since it was only $10 off Amazon, I made the click and put it into my shopping cart. But to get free shipping you have to order at least $25 worth of merchandise. Hmmm, what to buy, what to buy. "Runner's World" was offering a two year subscription for only $24, which comes out to $1/issue. Pretty good deal, so I clicked that and added that to my card as well. I clicked my way through the checkout, and was finished! The notice later told me to expect my first issue July 1...BUMMER!

However, it was a great surprise when I went to the mailbox one day and found the subscription had started two months early!! Merry Christmas to me! And to make things better, there were two issues in there...more reading to do!! But before I dive into my "Runner's World" reading, let me tell you about my habits with reading materials. When I get a magazine ("Newsweek", "Money" or "Good Housekeeping"), I tear through the whole thing in about 20 minutes. I scan the headlines of the articles, dog-ear the ones that look particularly interesting, and once I get to the end, go back and read those articles. 1 lunch hour---magazine done, ready for either Joel's reading pile or the recycling can.

"Runner's World" was different. It might be because I received two magazines on the same day, but I think it was more the fact everything was interesting and I learned a lot. It took me the rest of the day to finish those two issues. I started them at lunch, and finished at bed time. I will acknowledge that I was a single parent that day with two small, energetic children. But I felt that all the articles where thoughtful, entertaining, and full of things I felt kept me engaged. There was an article in which a runner wrote about his new GPS watch, how it tracked his run (mapping it out), gave him his average pace, heart rate, the distance of his run. (Sounds like my Nike+, but in a watch format and cost $400+ than the Nike+). Another article portrayed how one runner began his journey with baby-steps in his running program (he actually threw up AT THE GYM on his first day of a workout), and in less than 1 year he lost over 150 pounds and was running a marathon! Of course there were articles on the best running shoes and active wear, calendars of races all over the country, basic things you would expect to find in a magazine.

So next time you decide to subscribe to a new magazine, put down the cooking magazine and pick up "Runner's World"....it will definitely motive you!

P.S-I love them so much, these copies never reached the recycling can...they have their own place on my bookcase!

Playlist

I would like to thank Miley Cryus for growing up and singing edgier music.

There. My secret is out....I am a closet Miley Cyrus fan! When "Party in the USA" comes on the radio, I turn it up, sign at the top of lungs, and am grateful that my kids are still young enough to not be embarrassed by me. But her newest song "Can't Be Tamed" is a little more edgy, as compared to the bubblegum, pop princess that Disney had created when "Hannah Montana" first began. The song is fast and upbeat, and since it is the first song on my playlist, I hit the treadmill hard and fast today. In fact my first quarter mile was recorded with a pace of 10:02, and my first mile was 10:06! Holy cow! My end time was 22:12 for a two mile run, meaning my second mile was a little slower, but still a respectable time for a new runner. Here's hoping for a time under 35:00 for my first 5k in 5 weeks!

But back to the pumped up play list. This past week I had to reorganize my cardio playlist. Looking it over, I noticed some of the songs I purchased when I lived in Texas in 2005. I needed something new and fresh, so I dug out some CDs, and uploaded my iTunes giftcard, buying songs left and right. Here is a sample of what I am currently rocking out...

-- "Hung Up" and "4 Minutes" by Madonna
-- "Poker Face", "Love Game" and "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
-- "Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
-- "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
-- "Funhouse" by Pink
-- "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit
-- "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
-- "Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic! At the Disco

There's more--Black Eyed Peas, more Pink, Train, U2, Kelly Clarkson. But I am super excited about this revamp, and can't wait to (hopefully) see my times drop like a stone in a lake.

Back at it

Two more days...

In that amount of time, my wonderful, warrior husband will return home from the "Swamp Lands of America". When we spoke last night, we joked about how I would take "Me Time" this weekend, starting at 10am on Saturday, returning sometime on Tuesday night. HA! But we agreed that we would each get to the gym this Memorial Day weekend since he would be home for an extended break. I am really excited about this, since May was a true test of what this coming year will be like for our family. One thing I learned---keeping up a running schedule is hard work!

With summer near, and getting closer each day, the temperature keeps inching closer to the 90-degree marker, getting close to that this past Sunday. And while today is only a high of 82, it certainly feels hotter. So getting out and walking and/or running is really hard to do when you are making the decision from a cool, air-conditioned house. But today is Tuesday, meaning Miles has his baby sitter, and Nathan is in childcare!!! YIPPIE!! I booked it over to the gym, and had a GREAT run today. 2 miles in 22:12, which means my pace was an 11:03. Not too bad for only running 1 day a week! I added some news songs to my iPod playlist, and I think that really did the trick to keeping me pumped up today.

Yes, it's Tuesday....and I'm back at it!

At home gym

One of my favorite pastimes is to watch HGTV and their home buying shows, such as "Property Virgins", "My First Place" or "House Hunters". As a military couple, Joel and I have decided that we will either live on post or rent a house until he can retire, and then plunk down a nice chunk of change in buying our first house. Of course, I have already decided what is on the list of must haves in this house: a separate shower and bath tub in the master bath, separate vanity areas, updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances, double oven and granite counter tops. And an exercise room.

Yes, you heard me right. On days when I do head to the gym, I am stuck watching whatever channel the management decided to turn it on to. At Ft Campbell and Ft Benning, Fox News Channel (aka-Faux New Channel or Fox Noise Channel) always seems to be on. Shocker, right? So I want an at home gym where I can DVR my favorite shows and catch up on them while running or working out on the elliptical. Or tune into my favorite news channel, without the sight of Glen Beck or Bill O'Reily spewing hate and fear to the American public. Watching whatever *I* want to.....makes the dreadmill a little more bearable, right?

I also want an at-home gym for days like today, or rather like this entire month, where rain seems to be the norm rather than the exception. Another rainy day, another day where Nathan and I are trapped inside rather than running around the neighborhood looking at all the doggies in the back yards. Another day of no running.....another day of signing "Rain, rain, GO AWAY! And don't come back!"

Cool down

I just want to say how SUPER EXCITED I am about the weather forecast for this coming week! Lately it seems that it has been either a) hot and muggy, or b) cold and rainy. With this weekend's rain, the coming week has a forecast of highs in the high-60s to low-70s range. YIPPIE!!! I am hoping to log almost as many miles this coming week as I have for the month of May to date (13.37 miles).

Here's to good running weather--HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY!

My ego problem

This past week I kind of beat myself up after what I considered a disappointing workout session at the gym. My previous post illustrates how I set the bar way too high, and when I fell short how I punished myself for not accomplishing such an unrealistic goal. The next day I was surfing through several running website, and when I came to Active.com, there was an inspiring article about "How to Develop a Healthy Mental Attitude When You Run", written by Danny Dreyer. It was a very inspiring article, and talked about how when you run you need to drop your ego. You ego, according to Dreyer, "can either inflate you or deflate your sense of self....When your ego is deflated,you give up too easily." That right there is exactly what I DO NOT want to do with my running.

Dreyer then goes on to discuss non-identification and using it when running.

"Non-identification is the art of making healthy decisions and of seeing yourself from a balanced place without judging yourself. If you are defining your self-worth by how well a run goes---either negatively or with an inflated sense of pride--then you are identifying with how you run. When you are non-identified, you evaluate your run, but not your self worth. You notice what you did well, what you need to improve upon and enjoy the process of learning and improving your running technique."

Those last two sentences really struck a chord with me. I realized that I WAS basing my runs on who well or poorly I did on that particular run. What I need to focus on is what Dreyer said, and pick apart the run like one would evaluate a military exercise--this is right, this is wrong, this is how I can change what went wrong. So when I leave the gym this week, it will not be saying, "Man, I can't even run five miles." Instead I will be saying, "What can I change in my run to accomplish that goal of running five miles?"

Reach for the sky!

I hate being a perfectionist. Let me tell you right now---raise your children to know that there is "good" and "good enough", and "good enough" is just fine. You'll still get into heaven being "good enough". Here's the story----

This month has been a hard one to run. At the beginning of the month, there was the 2010 Flood, where Nashville received 14" of rain in two days. Yes, you read that right. The amount we get in three months came in a 48 hour time period. So the kids and I stayed inside, climbed the walls, and had Jammie Day for 2 long, weekend days. Those two days were a wash, so to speak, in terms of getting out and running.

When the rain went away, the heat came out to play. At 9am last Wednesday morning, I could barely walk/run a complete mile. It seemed like the heat and humidity were just too much for this delicate hot-house flower.

This past weekend when I visited my parents, I made a point of getting up early and hitting the sidewalk by 0530 for a 2 mile run. Ugh. Did that, glad it's over.

So, now to today. Miles had his respite provider over, Nathan went to childcare, and I went to the gym. I set high expectations for myself, and that is Point A that I hate about myself. I set goals that are too high, I know they are too high, but I still set them and hope I can reach them. I though, "With three hours to myself, I can do 5 miles on the treadmill, then 5 miles on the bike, move to the elliptical for 5 miles, and maybe lift some weights to finish off the routine." That was my thinking yesterday. This morning my thoughts were along the lines of "Workout or take a nap, that is the question." I really wanted to nap, I should have napped. My energy level has just taken a nose-dive since Joel is gone. But I also knew that logging these miles for my WTA would have to be accomplished at some point, so I might as well get them done and out of the way, right?

While I did not reach the lofty expectations I set for myself, I did manage to double my monthly total in this one hour cardio session--1 mile run, 5 miles on the bike, and 1 mile on the eliptical. No weight session, a hot shower was just too appealing.

So, the session was not "good" but "good enough", and that is fine by me.